Ātmā is not affected

The misconceptions about the plurality, limitation, form and localisation of ātmā, which are caused by the gross body, are clarified in the previous mantra. The next mantra clarifies the misconceptions caused by the subtle body.

vāyuryathaiko bhuvanam praviṣṭo rūpam rūpam pratirūpo babhūva |

ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā rūpam rūpam pratirūpo bahiśca ||2-2-10||

One ātmā which is in all beings (assumes) various forms in keeping with every

form (of being) just as one air-element, which is in the universe, assumes various

forms in keeping with every form (of object whatever it enters ). (It is) outside also.

This mantra is almost identical with the previous mantra, except in the first line, the word agni - fire is replaced by vāyu - air. Everything which was explained by the fire principle applies to the air principle. The manifested air in every living being is called prāṇaḥ (subtle body). When the air principle enters the body of an ant, it assumes the prāṇaḥ (subtle body) of an ant. When the same air principle enters to the body of an elephant, it assumes the subtle body of an elephant. It assumes a form corresponding to the various forms of the subtle body. Similarly one ātmā (by its own nature it is changeless) becomes endowed with similar form in keeping with various forms of the subtle body. We make the same errors related to the plurality, limitations, form, and location which are caused by the subtle body as we make with the gross body.

When one bahman is the innermost self of all beings, would brahman become endowed with sorrow of every being?

sūryo yathā sarvalokasya cakṣuḥ na lipyate cākṣuṣairbāhyadoṣaiḥ |

ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā na lipyate lokaduḥkhena bāhyaḥ ||2-2-11||

Just as the sun, which is the eye of all eyes, is not affected by the blemishes of the eyes or of the external things revealed by it, so also the one ātmā, dwelling in all beings, is never contaminated by the sorrow of the world, being external to it.

After establishing that one ātmā manifests as the gross and subtle bodies, thus seemingly become many and taking the attributes of the form manifested with the example of fire and air principle in the previous two mantra, now yamarāja establishes that one and all-pervading ātmā cannot be polluted by anything in the creation which is its own manifestation. When there is a fragrance in a room, the air in the room becomes fragrant because of the association. The association causes pollution. We may therefore conclude that ātmā also gets polluted by its association with the body. Ātmā is asaṅgaḥ – it does not take any traits of any individual jīva. To illustrate this, yamarāja uses the example of sunlight.

The sun spreads light all over the earth, but does not acquire the properties of any of

the objects that it illumines. The light that shines on a dusty surface does not acquire dust. Light pervades water, but does not get wet by it. Similarly, consciousness pervades the body and mind which have their own attributes, but it does not acquire these properties.

sūryo yathā sarvalokasya cakṣuḥ - just like the sunlight is the eye of the entire world, because of which everything in the world is seen; the solar light pervades the earth but it is not tainted by the impurity of the eyes of the seer and external impurities of the things revealed by it- na lipyate cākṣuṣairbāhyadoṣaiḥ. The internal impurities are the invisible individual eye defects, and the external impurities are visible – dirt, dust etc.

ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā - similarly, one consciousness ātmā that is present in all the living beings is intimately associated with the bodies (gross and subtle), na lipyate lokaduḥkhena bāhyaḥ - but it is not affected (tainted) by the sorrow which are individual impurities.